Chapter 421: 'I'

Ji Zhixiu sat in the study of A16 Manor, solemnly going through the letter in front of her. Her father, Ji Bonong, sat opposite her, taking a sip of red wine from his hometown in the Northern Lands, before turning toward Ji Zhixiu. The daughter before him was no longer that little girl who had endured sordid blood and once bore all his hopes.

Ji Zhixiu had a slight smile as she put down the letter and said, "Boss Lin's branch has been opened, it's the Fred Family mansion that we previously offered."

"Miss Mu'en is in charge," added Ji Zhixiu slightly pensively.

Ji Bonong nodded. "It seems that Boss Lin has decided to make a move on the Central District. The real gift we gave him ought to have been opened about now."

The red wine swirled in the tall glass, like blood—dark, red, and thick. Ji Bonong's warped face was reflected in the center of the swirl.

He gazed into the red wine and understood deep down... The motive for opening a branch in the Central District was already clear. Ji Bonong felt that he would completely let down Boss Lin's trust if he didn't take action now.

"I was still wondering how to avoid the adjudication bureau's eyes in our plan to reform the Central District, but it looks like Boss Lin is helping us once again," Ji Zhixiu said with a smile as she put the letter which represented the current situation of the nobles into the fireplace, and the flames devoured it to ashes.

Ji Zhixiu had used mind parasitism at the auction and succeeded in getting into the heads of everyone. However, deep down, she was actually worried about whether this would be discovered by the adjudication bureau.

Having their plans found out was only a matter of time, so they needed to act quickly.

"Seku Family, Palachi Family, Aldreu Family, Ludwig Family, Hanno Family, Stuart Family..." Ji Bonong recited.

All of these families were ones that controlled the Central District, but now, each of their family heads was under Ji Zhixiu's control.

"I already control these families. As long as I give the order, the traces in their minds will completely take over them. It's been a week since the auction, and the parasitic hosts under my control should have already spread my 'tentacles' far enough."

When they returned home, hugged their families, or talked, the mind parasites would spread like a virus.

Ji Zhixiu started to organize the information in her hands as she spoke, "I had wanted to let it fester for a while more, but now that Boss Lin has already come, we don't have to wait for an opportune moment."

Eyes still on the wine glass he was twirling, Ji Bonong said, "We still need a pretext to take action. The Truth Union's destruction of the passage to the Lower District a few days prior is one such reason. We can't do business without the mines in the Lower District. With no way of doing business, we can't pay salaries and have no choice to stop production..."

Ji Zhixiu smiled and nodded. "I've already arranged for it."

Ji Bonong looked toward his daughter in both surprise and excitement.

"I have submitted an application for a layoff at Rolle Resource, and it has already been approved by the adjudication bureau. Those brainless bunch surely do not know how important a job at Rolle Resource is for a power family. Now they can't even afford a loaf of bread," said Ji Zhixiu.

Ji Bonong couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Those people would probably say why not have steak if they can't afford bread."

The father and daughter smiled at each other.

"I have secretly placed many laborers under parasitic control, and they have been spreading propaganda among all the workers every day. They will start plotting a revolt against the Central District over the next few days. At the time, all the controlled nobles..." Ji Zhixiu walked to the floor-to-ceiling window and gazed at the fountain in the backyard against the beautiful backdrop of the Central District's beautiful blue sky.

She took a deep breath and smiled. "All the Central Districts nobles are all... me!"

Countless images flooded her mind like scenes from a movie. These were all the puppets she had parasitized, and every one of them had practically become a part of her. She judged every thought and action of each of these individuals.

As she smiled, thousands of residents and nobles across the Central District smiled too.

Children with cotton candy walking on the street, noble girls enjoying the scenery on a lake boat, factory foremen whipping workers, black cats raised by nobles turning around a street corner... they all looked in the same direction. There was the central park that regulated the air, blue sky, and beauty of the entire Central District.

Him, her, it... all of them were Ji Zhixiu.

Becoming a race... Now, the entire Central Area is 'I.'

——

"Blythe. What are you smiling about?"

Under the massive inverse tree, Barr, who was practically the adjudication bureau's head, asked Blythe, who had just returned from the bookstore.

Blythe's smile remained unchanged as he explained, "Nothing much, I was just thinking about my wife who's about to give birth soon."

Once Blythe said that, all other members of the adjudication bureau fell silent as they stared at Blythe as though he were a strange creature.

Amon scoffed. "Is there something wrong with your head? I recall that your wife is already 56 years old this year, and she's just an ordinary person."

Glancing at Amon who was mocking him, Blythe frowned. His past self would have immediately leaped up and yelled, but he was now a person baptized by Boss Lin.

Thus, he shrugged. "I was just making a joke. Why take it so seriously?"

Barr waved them off and said, "Enough, Blythe is still young after all."

Blythe was indeed the youngest among them. He was only in his sixties, which was considered really young compared to the 'humans' before him who were all over a hundred years old.

"Alright. You went to investigate the branch store. What have you found out?"

Blythe earnestly gave his briefing. "That branch currently isn't taking any action. It seems to be just the Sun's Faith intention to spread their faith to the nobles and it has little to do with the bookstore. I think that there's no need to be so nervous. We should just pay more attention to the movements of the Ash Chamber of Commerce."

The rest of the group exchanged glances upon hearing what was said and began to express their own opinions.

While they were discussing, Blythe walked to the side of the large fruit and glanced at the sleeping Witch of Trees inside. He closed his eyes and, using the power as one of the night's chosen, transmitted everything he saw underneath the inverse tree to that woman.

——

Fred Mansion, Lin Jie's first branch store.

Mu'en, who was shaking milk tea by hand, suddenly stopped as a hint of surprise appeared in her eyes.

Fraxinus, the Witch of Trees, is actually there... Mu'en, who had succeeded Walpurgis, the Witch of the Night, naturally knew who the Witch of Trees was. She was the massive tree that grew on the dream wall and supported the existence of the entire Norzin.

This is what those members of the Central District's adjudication bureau relied on?

However, Mu'en merely stopped for a moment before continuing to shake her milk tea.

This sort of trivial matter wasn't worthy of disturbing Boss Lin about, and it was something she could easily solve herself.

Mu'en finished shaking and handed the milk tea to the customer who was reading in front of him. The customer had a look of obsession and pain as he read, but when he took a sip of the tea, his eyes brightened, and he burst into laughter and danced around, saying, "I understand, I understand." Then he suddenly fell to the ground, and a few thin tentacles emerged from his nose and mouth before retracting.

Mu’en sighed and said expressionlessly, "Time to clean up again."